Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley said Wednesday he could return to his Pro Bowl form this year because he has finally had a full offseason to work out.
Stanley, 29, has missed extensive playing time the past three seasons because of a left ankle injury that has required multiple surgeries. He signed a five-year, $98.75 million extension with the Ravens in October 2020 but suffered a devastating injury two days later.
Stanley played the 2021 season opener before it was determined that the ankle was not fully healed and required another surgery. In 2022, he missed the first month of the season and two additional games.
This offseason, he didn’t have to concern himself with rehabilitating the ankle, just returning to his usual workouts.
“A majority of my time the past couple of years have been spent on rehab,” said Stanley, a 2016 first-round draft pick. “About 80% of that offseason time [had been focused on rehab] and probably 20% on training. So, being able to really put most of my time on training and building and getting stronger, getting more endurance, and just becoming an overall better athlete has been a big difference for me.”
Stanley will probably never be as good as he was in 2019, when he was named a first-team All-Pro. Those injuries take a toll, and he couldn’t fully plant and push off in pass protection last season.
But it will be hard for the Ravens to win without him. Stanley didn’t practice Wednesday and his replacement, Patrick Mekari, struggled with second-year outside linebacker David Ojabo.
Left tackles don’t get a break on Sunday afternoons because they are usually matched up against the opposing team’s top pass rusher. The Ravens need Stanley on the field.
“Been able to build and really build off what I did last season and just get better,” Stanley said. “I really feel a big difference the last couple of years.”
Monken making strong impression
New offensive coordinator Todd Monken has a way of getting after players in a humorous way.
When asked about running back J.K. Dobbins missing his second straight practice of mandatory minicamp with a minor soft-tissue injury, Monken gave a subtle, yet prodding reply.
“Would we love [Dobbins] to be out here? Of course,” Monken said. “Would we love him to be able to go through practice and be able to see that? As I told him today, I’m excited. ‘Give me something. Run a swing route. I don’t care. Just jog down the field. Do something. Give me something to get excited about.’ ”
When asked if he had to go over things or reinstall parts of the game plan for players who didn’t participate in voluntary offseason team activities, Monken simply said no.
“No chance,” he said. “They’ve got to catch up on their own. We’re in the world of iPads and being able to look ahead, and we’ve been in contact with those guys.
“Again, it’s great to have them here; it’s always better when they’re out here practicing with us. But again, that’s their responsibility of being pros.”I’m starting to really like this guy, and apparently so is quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Forget about the freedom Jackson will be given to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage. At least this year the Ravens will operate at a faster pace, which Jackson prefers. The offense has worked hard on the up-tempo approach so far.
“[It’s] very important, just because we have the clock going — the play clock going — and then we have to see what the defense is in,” Jackson said. “We have to make adjustments at the line. We still have to have time to make our adjustments. We might have to change a play here and there, so it’s very good getting to the line of scrimmage and have everything settled within that.”
Defensive line depth
Second-year defensive tackle Travis Jones appears to have had a good offseason in the weight room. He has gained some muscle in both his shoulders and legs and appears to have reshaped his body. He doesn’t look like one of those old Weeble Wobble toys anymore, which means the 2022 third-round pick could give the Ravens much-needed depth on the defensive line.
Meanwhile, fourth-year tackle Broderick Washington might be the most technically sound player on the unit. He isn’t going to make the big, splashy play, but his fundamentals are on point.
Next step for Hamilton
If second-year safety Kyle Hamilton continues to improve, the Ravens could have one of the strongest combinations in the league.
Fellow safety Marcus Williams has good range and can play the deep ball. As a rookie last season, Hamilton struggled early, but the Ravens gave the first-round pick time to grow by using him near the line of scrimmage.
By the end of 2022, Hamilton was solid. Now the Ravens need him to take the next step. Thus far, he looks more comfortable in his role and he is playing all over the field, not just in the box.
Wide receivers working
I am still fascinated by the chemistry Jackson has built with veteran wide receiver Nelson Agholor. They opened Wednesday’s seven-on-seven period by connecting for a 10-yard touchdown pass on a fade pattern in the right corner of the end zone as Agholor beat cornerback Rock Ya-Sin.
Of all the receivers, rookie Zay Flowers seems to run the best routes, and he can do some damage after the catch. He had a strong day Wednesday after making a few drops Tuesday because he didn’t extend his arms and allowed passes to get into his body.
Fourth-year receivers Devin Duvernay and James Proche II have performed well, but there are no guarantees they will make the roster. Proche was angry after he dropped a potential touchdown pass in the end zone from Jackson when the Ravens were running the hurry-up offense.
And he should have been.
Matchup to watch
A good matchup to watch in training camp will be Agholor against cornerback Marlon Humphrey. They don’t have any animosity toward each other but seem to enjoy the one-on-one competition.
At one point Wednesday, Agholor was unaware the Ravens were running the no-huddle offense and had to make a quick jog back to the line of scrimmage.
He got a signal from Jackson, who threw a quick pass that Agholor wasn’t ready for, leading to an interception for Humphrey after the ball bounced off the receiver’s hands. Humphrey sprinted the other way for what would have been a pick-six in a real game.
The good, the bad ...
Jackson threw a nice 55-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tarik Black late in practice. It was picture-perfect. The pass that backup quarterback Tyler Huntley threw to undrafted rookie Dontay Demus Jr.? Not so much. It was intercepted in the left corner of the end zone by cornerback Kevon Seymour.
That was ugly.
Secondary a work in progress
The Ravens are trying a lot of different combinations in the secondary, but they will go deep into the preseason before any final decisions are made.
Coach John Harbaugh said the rotation is a priority, and second-year defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald agrees.
“It’s tough right now [with] where we’re at,” Macdonald said. “It’s great to say that we’re interchangeable parts, and that is true, and in the beginning part of the offseason, we do teach everything conceptually, so that guys are just learning X’s. But as we get going into the fall, we’re going to want to start to slot those things, kind of, more full-time, so guys get used to playing next to guys that they’re going to be [next to] in the game.
“There are some things that are definitely up for competition out there. I think you know the usual suspects out there, and we’re just trying to really just kind of let them cook in there and get used to playing with one another.”